Metal furniture



April 3, 1934. J. P. KIESECKER 1,953,613

Y METAL FURNITURE Original Filed June 11, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I //VVNTOR i JULES I? K/E'SECKER J. P. KIESECKER METAL FURNITURE April 3, 1934.

Original Filed me 11. 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //v 1/E/vro/P JULES F? K/ESECKE'R BY ATTX Patented Apr. 3, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METAL FURNITURE Jules P. Kiesecker, New York, N. Y.

7 Claims.

This invention relates to fireproof furniture and more particularly to furniture of this type constructed with a metal frame with coverings of fireproof material. This application is a division of this applicants copending application,

Serial No. 616,624, filed June 11, 1932, which became Patent No. 1,934,195, November '7, 1933.

Commercial metal furniture of today is usually all metal which follows the shapes employed in wooden furniture without actually representing wood and employs hair, down and other materials in the upholstery which are inflammable in the sense that such upholstery can produce suffocating smoke.

It is an object of this invention to construct fireproof furniture particularly adaptable for use on shipboard as in spaces enclosed by fireproof partitions, such as state rooms, as well as in public places of the vessel. It is also an object of this invention in constructing this improved fireproof furniture to combine metal structural forms with compressed fireproof materials disguising the coldness and obviating the tin pan sound so common to the ordinary types of metal furniture. It is still a further object of this invention to provide furniture of this type which may be covered with fabric or wood veneer or provided with a combination of wood veneer surfaces with polished metal, which is very popular at the present time, so that the outward appearance of the furniture can be so constructed and decorated as to correspond with any architectural or decorative scheme and at the same time possessing the quality of being practically a complete fireproof article.

While the preferred forms of this invention are illustrated in the accompanying sheets of drawings, yet it is to be understood that minor detail changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof.

Figure 1 is a view in perspective, with parts broken away and partly in section, illustrating the application of this invention to a chest of drawers.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, with parts broken away.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

In carrying out this invention, it is contem- 5o plated to employ commercial metal structural forms for the main supporting members which are interlocking in character and spot-welded together.

It is contemplated to apply this invention to a chest of drawers commonly referred to in the furniture trade as highboys or lowboys according to the number of drawers or bureaus in accordance with the shape of the article. An embodiment of this application to a chest of drawers is illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings. By reference to these drawings, it is seen that the article is formed with each side including a commercial channel 1 of light weight metal bent in the form of a flat arch with the side channels interlocking with the front and back channels and preferably spot-welded thereto. The interlocking channels form the four corners of the article and are preferably covered by a light weight metal envelope 2 and the bottom of each corner is provided with a metallic foot 3 secured thereto. The top or upper surface is preferably a sheet of thin metal 4 bent down along each side, as shown, and secured to the fiat portions of the channels in any desired manner and the upper surface is preferably covered with molded sheet rubber 5 in one piece.

The curved portions of the interlocking channels and the upper portion of the corner envelopes are concealed by a thin sheet metal frame 6 preferably spot-welded and depending from the fiat portions 7 of the channels in the same manner as in the chair, which is illustrated in the patent mentioned above.

The side and back panels 8 and 9 are formed in a single sheet of a commercial compressed fireproof material. The channels surrounding the back and each side panel are provided with a slight offset in its web to form a shoulder 10 to be engaged by the edge of the panel and are stiffened at intervals by the light metal angularly shaped drawer runners 11, hereinafter described, which are preferably spot-welded to the channels, the lowermost of said runners 12 is provided at its lower edge with an outstanding flange 13 to engage the lower edge of each side and back panel to insure its engagement with the web of the upper fiat portion of the channel, while the said runners insure the engagement of the panels with the shoulders 10 of the channels.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the drawer runners are constructed of strips of light metal bent to provide right angular portions laying in horizontal and vertical planes. The horizontal portions 14 of the strips forming the back and side are each provided with an offset 15, the upper part of which acts as a spacer, while the lower portion acts as a runner over which the drawer body travels. It is preferable to provide each of the strips forming the runners 11 and 12 with a flange at each end which may be spot-welded or otherwise secured to the contiguous channel so that the horizontal portions of the back and side strips engage and stiffen the back and side panels. The front strip 16 of the runner is secured to the contiguous channels with its horizontal portion in line with the offset of the side and back strips and the lower edge of the front strip is preferably bent back upon itself to form a closure for the front of the drawer. As heretofore said the lowermost edge of the side and back strips of the lowermost runner 12 are outwardly flanged for the purpose described.

The drawers 1'? are preferably formed from a single sheet of metal with the sides thereof bent upwardly and welded at the corners. The metal of the front 18 of the drawer is preferably offset in the manner shown to receive a superimposed front 19 of a commercial compressed fireproof material which may be recessed around the edges, so that a portion of the material will extend be yond each side of the drawer, as shown and these fronts are preferably secured by knobs 20 or handles having screw-threaded projections adapted to pass through the front, a spacer block 21 interposed between the front and the metal of the drawer and be held in place by a nut upon the interior of the drawer, as customary in wooden drawers. It is also preferable to form the metal at the top of the drawer sides and back with the round surface 22 by bending said metal outwardly therefrom in the manner shown.

The metal envelopes 2 of the corners do not entirely enclose the interlocking channels, but terminate on the sides adjacent each other in line with the shoulder of the channels and engage the outer surfaces of the side and back fireproofing panels. The front sides of the envelopes about the front corners may be terminated in line with the web of the front channels and the front strips 16 of the runners secured to the channels in the same plane as the outer surface of the envelopes. The depending frame about the upper flat portions of the channels about the sides'and back is flanged about its lower edge to engage the outer surface of the flreprooflng back and side panels while the lower portion across the front is bent back upon itself, as shown in Figure 1. A chest of drawers constructed in the manner above described exposes only the metal enveloping the corners and the front strips forming the drawer runners. A chest of drawers constructed in this manner can be finished in enamel inside and outside or on the outside with a wooden veneer and in either case the suggestion of its being metal is entirely removed.

What I claim is:

1. An article of furniture including a plurality of structural metal shapes bent in the form of flat arches with angular legs depending therefrom and having the said legs adjacent each other interlocked to form the respective legs of the article, a continuous metallic skirt supported on the flat portions of said arches depending below the curved portions thereof, panels of fireproof material secured between said flat portions and said legs, the tops of said panels being engaged by said metallic skirt, and means provided upon the legs for engaging the sides of the panels.

2. An article of furniture including a plurality of structural metal shapes bent in the form of flat arches with angular legs depending therefrom and having the said legs adjacent each other interlocked to form the respective legs of the article, a continuous metallic skirt supported on the flat portions of said arches depending below the curved portions thereof, metallic envelopes surrounding the interlocking portions of the legs, and panels of fireproof material secured between said flat portions and said legs, the tops of said panels being engaged by said metallic skirt and the sides being engaged by means provided therefor upon said metallic envelopes,

3. A rectangular article of furniture including four metal channels bent in the form of flat arches with depending angular legs, the parallel flanges of the channels extending outwardly, with the adjacent legs interlocked to form the corners and legs of the article, a continuous metal skirt secured to the outer flange of the flat channel portions depending below the curved portions, a rectangular metal top extending over and secured to the flat channel portions, metal envelopes abouteach corner having longitudinal ofisets,-panels of fireproof material extending below the flat channel portions between the interlocked portions, the top portion of said panels being engaged by said continuous skirt, and the sides of said panels being engaged by the offsets in the metal envelopes about each corner.

4. A rectangular article of furniture including four metal channels bent in the form of flat arches with depending angular legs, the parallel flanges of the channels extending outwardly, with the adjacent legs interlocked to form the corners and legs of the article, a continuous metal skirt secured to the outer flange of the flat channel portions depending below the curved portions, a rectangular metal top extending over and secured to the flat channel portions, panels of fireproof material extending below the flat chan nel portions between the interlocked portions, the top portion of said panels being engaged by said continuous skirt, metal envelopes about each corner engaging the sides of said panels, and a plurality of angular metal strips forming drawer runners secured to the interlocked channel corners.

5. A rectangular article of furniture including four metal channels bent in the form of flat arches with depending angular legs, the parallel flanges of the channels extending outwardly, with the adjacent legs interlocked to form the corners and legs of the article, a continuous metal skirt secured to the outer flange of the flat channel portions depending below the curved portions, a rectangular metal top extending over and secured to the flat channel portions, panels of fireproof material extending below the flat channel portions between the interlocked portions, the top portion of said panels being engaged by said continuous skirt, metal envelopes about each corner engaging the sides of said panels, and a plurality of angular metal strips forming drawer runners secured to the interlocked channel corners, the lower edges of the lowermost runners being flanged outwardly to engage and support the bottom of said panels.

6. A rectangular article of furniture including four metal channels bent in the form of flat arches with depending angular legs, the parallel flanges of the channels extending outwardly, with the adjacent legs interlocked to form the corners and legs of the article, a continuous metal skirt secured to the outer flange of the flat channel portions depending below the curved portions, a rectangular metal top extending over and secured to the flat channel portions, panels of fireproof material extending below the flat channel portions between the interlocked portions, the top portion of said panels being engaged by said continuous skirt, metal envelopes about each corner engaging the sides of said panels, a plurality of angular metal strips forming drawer runners secured to the interlocked channel corners, the lower edges of the lowermost runners being flanged outwardly to engage and support the bottom of said panels, and the webs of the flat portions of the channels being ofiset to provide a shoulder to be engaged by said panels.

7. A rectangular article of furniture including four metal channels bent in the form of fiat arches with depending angular legs, the parallel flanges of the channels extending outwardly, with the adjacent legs interlocked to form the corners and legs of the article, a continuous metal skirt secured to the outer flange of the flat channel portions depending below the curved portions, a rectangular metal top extending over and secured to the flat channel portions, panels of fireproof material extending below the fiat channel portions between the interlocked portions, the top portion of said panels being engaged by said continuous skirt, metal envelopes about each corner engaging the sides of said panels, a plurality of angular metal strips forming drawer runners secured to the interlocked channel corners, the lower edges of the lowermost runners being flanged outwardly to engage and support the bottom of said panels, the webs of the fiat portions of the channels being offset to provide a shoulder to be engaged by said panels, and the vertical portions of said runners engaging the inner surfaces of said panels.

JULES P. KIESECKER. 

